Therapeutic apparatus and methods using a magnetic field for treating various diseases including arthritis are already known in the prior art.
There are numerous teachings in the prior art for the application of a magnetic field to living tissue for healing and/or relief of pain. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,658,051, granted Apr. 25, 1972, discloses a process and apparatus for the treatment of human tissue where a body part to be treated is placed between the poles of an electromagnet. A pulsed magnetic field is applied to the body part which is induced in the electromagnet by an intermittent direct current. As further examples, U.S. Pat. No. 4,177,796, granted Dec. 11, 1979, U.S. Pat. No. 4,758,429, granted Jul. 19, 1988, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,314,400, granted May 24, 1994, disclose devices and methods for treating human joints, tissue, and various areas of the body using the application of a magnetic field.
Various processes and devices are known in the prior art for use in treating ailments and diseases in humans and in animals which utilize the magnetic field that may be induced by currents flowing through solenoids or coils. For example, the group of related patents comprises U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,131,904, granted Jul. 21, 1992, U.S. Pat. No. 5,453,073, granted Sep. 26, 1995, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,966, granted Dec. 1, 1998, disclose a process for the treatment of arthritis through the application of an electromagnetic field to a body part, where the device consists of a circular tube containing a coil, and where the coil segments are separated by air gaps. A pulsed DC voltage is applied to the coil which generates an electromagnetic field.
As a further example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,757,804, granted Jul. 19, 1988, discloses a method and apparatus for treating human tissue through the application of a pulsed magnetic field, where a flexible belt capable of carrying a pulsed electrical signal encircles the body part to be treated. The belt has a plurality of parallel conductors extending along its length to form at least one continuous coil.
A general object of this invention is to provide an improved method and apparatus for treatment of disease and pain in bodies of humans and animals by means of inducing electromagnetic fields of unique characteristics in the affected areas of the body. A further object is to overcome certain disadvantages of the prior art.